ITMO's slogan is "IT's MOre than a UNIVERSITY". And this is not just a witty word play — the university is actually known as one of the most 'student-friendly': starting from a well-tuned feedback system, ending with academic opportunities beyond ITMO.
The university provides a wide selection of international activities. In this article I would like to touch on some of those that are directly available for ITMO students: the Buddy System intra-university program, the Study Abroad at Home educational program and the semester academic mobility. Now first things first.
ITMO is one of the best technical universities in Russia, so there are always a lot of international students here. Once in a foreign country, faced with other cultural and everyday realities, they sometimes need help. And here Buddy System comes to the rescue when ITMO students act as mentors and assistants for newcomers in solving domestic, communicative and some other problems. To participate in the project, it is necessary to pass a questionnaire, an interview (during which the level of foreign language proficiency is also checked), and special training procedure followed by a test.
The Study Abroad at Home program was launched for students who have not yet decided to take part in the competition for academic mobility, but would like to experience studying in an international group in a foreign language. Launched in early 2022, it consists of a set of practice-oriented courses taught in a modular system in English. The group is international and consists of both ITMO students themselves and foreign students who have arrived on academic mobility. An incredible opportunity to share knowledge, ideas, and personal experiences!

To participate in the program, one has to fill out a questionnaire and pass an interview in English (the recommended level is B1 and higher). And, of course, keep a close eye on deadlines: for some courses, the "window of opportunity" closes earlier. At the end of the course, its student receives a certificate of completion.
There is an important update. In the spring semester 2022/23 the program was temporarily suspended due to various reasons. But in the future it is planned to resume the program: all updates will be published in the news and on social media of ITMO.
As for the most ambitious program — academic semester exchange — its principle is quite simple: the university has partnership agreements with foreign universities that are ready to provide a certain number of places for ITMO students for a period of 1 semester. The internal competition for the program is held twice a year: in September (for exchanges in the spring semester) and in February (for exchanges in the fall semester). Students of both bachelor's and master's degrees in various fields of study are invited to participate: training programs are not limited to Science and IT disciplines — there are also Humanities. To participate in the competition, one has to fill out an application, supplementing it with a video CV and a certificate of proficiency in a certain foreign language (in its absence, a student can pass an internal ITMO test). Additional documents include a CV in the supposed language of education and a motivation letter. While considering applications, the committee take various factors into account: student's academic performance, motivation, active life position, etc. At the moment exchanges with more than 40 foreign universities are available. The information is freely available — both on the website and in social media.
ITMO is a university that provides its students with considerable opportunities for growth: both personal and professional.